UPDATE: The connection in Crownies to me is unmistakeable now, see update below.
Stranger than fiction shades of Ben Santer:
“Next time I see Pat Michaels at a scientific meeting, I’ll be tempted to beat the crap out of him. Very tempted.” – Dr. Ben Santer in a Climategate email
I was aware of this TV show last week as a couple of alert readers brought it to my attention, but unfortunately I couldn’t comment on it for two reasons: 1) The draconian ABC (Australia) copyright policy prevents it from being viewed in the USA, so I couldn’t see the scene or get the dialog and 2) If I commented on it, people would say I was the only one who sees the comparison, and that it was self serving. Tim Blair of the Daily Telegraph solves both problems. He transcripts the dialog and writes:
Idealistic young lawyer: “He’s a lead author for the IPCC. He’s a climatologist who put together a global temperature reconstruction going back 12,000 years!”
Legal secretary: “So he’s a geek.”
Idealistic young lawyer: “He’s been on Four Corners.”
Legal secretary: “A huge geek.”
Idealistic young lawyer: “And on Oprah.”
Legal secretary: “Slightly cool. And the alleged assault?”
Idealistic young lawyer: “He punched a climate change sceptic, James Watt. Watt runs a blog, CO2 Fraud, a bunch of anti-science crap.”
Legal secretary: “Sounds like a fun day in court. You haven’t had a win yet, have you?”
Continue viewing to see the impressive physical differences between doddery old denier and punchy professor, who must be the only climatologist in history with a $250 haircut.
Former Greens candidate Clive Hamilton loved it:
At last, the ABC has broadcast a program that accurately reflects the debate over climate science.
Yep – cool guys versus jabbering idiots who deserve a beating!
The program in question is the episode of Crownies aired last Thursday night. In it, DPP solicitor Richard Stirling (played by Hamish Michael and one of Crownies’ real stars) reluctantly has to prosecute an eminent climate scientist who allegedly punched a climate denier in the face. The denier James Watt (played with disconcerting accuracy by Richard Healy) had been harassing Professor Tim Coghburn for years, turning up at every public event to demand answers to his inane questions lifted uncritically from some denialist website.
Hamilton didn’t watch very carefully. The Watt character – possibly a dig at Anthony Watts – runs his own site. And the climatologist is Steve Coburn, not Tim Coghburn. Clive can’t even get TV credits right.
When Watt, after disrupting a public lecture, followed Coghburn out of the venue haranguing, insulting and poking him in the chest, the scientist finally lost his rag and lashed out. Who hasn’t wanted to do that?
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Read it all here at Tim Blair’s column
What is ironic is that when I gave public lectures in Australia, the only person who disrupted them was reef scientist turned activist Ove Hoegh-Guldberg.
Strangeness abounds. I’m not sure what to make of this. At least there is some comfort, according to my friends in Australia, the Crownies TV show appears to be tanking in the ratings. In a way though, the Watt character is an everyman, representing those who have doubts about the state of the science.
For anyone in Australia, here’s the episode, number thirteen.
Here’s the preview writeup.
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UPDATE: I still can’t watch this show, but commenter “pwl” did, and adds some transcript. It seems unmistakeable now that I am the inspiration for the character:
From the show at about 15:20 into it.
“Was he aware that the modern temperature record was utterly corrupt? They put thermometers next to air conditioning units and on airport tarmacs.” – Fictional James Watts
“So you think a few thermometers at airports accounts for the late 20th century rise in recorded temperatures globally?” – Fake Idealistic young lawyer DPP solicitor Richard Stirling
“With El Nino thrown in, yes.” – Fictional James Watts
“And the rise in ocean temperatures, the receding glaciers, the earlier spring flowering, the earlier bird and animal migration, the collapse of arctic summer ice cover?” – Fake Idealistic young lawyer DPP solicitor Richard Stirling
“Was that in my police statement?” – Fictional James Watts
“Not really.” – Fake Idealistic young lawyer DPP solicitor Richard Stirling
“Oh, then why ask it?” – Fictional James Watts
“I’m demonstrating how upset professor may have been with your line of questioning. It goes to motive.” – Fake Idealistic young lawyer DPP solicitor Richard Stirling
“Hm.. right.” – Fictional James Watts
Oh, the professors book was being launched at the meeting where the fictional punch took place. The funny part is that the book is entitled “Boiling Frogs”.
Boiling Frogs aka Richard Stirling, fictional lawyer.
Such complete loss of journalistic value typically has a network behind the scenes. Who are the owners of ABC ?
Journalistic ethics don’t apply to entertain-type programming like this. See ‘The Simpons’ and ‘South Park’ for further reading.
ABC is government funded.
Listen Anthony, not all Aussies watch ABC and believe it, it’s like the BBC over here – full of BS merchants and government shills.
However, the truth hurts and they’re kicking back – sore losers, us and the Aussies have other words for it but this is a [realist] ‘family’ blog.
Bill Mckibben is going to crash the Occupy Wall Street protests, which are aims at the BANKS! not global warming. This is an attempt to co-opt a very legitimate movement to further his and the banks goals. I bet Al Gore will crash the f-ing thing too and turn it into a bowel movement.
http://www.350.org/en/OWS
I am going to make a piñata in their image.
Crownies is probably viewed as a science reality show, by the Aussie Greenies. Like much of their CO2 pscyence, they make it up as they go……
@Mark Wilson
Well, they “discovered” the time rift (parallel universe, in the past) so they couldn’t choose the destination. However, they ARE arguing that the environment is so bad we won’t recover.
I expect my science fiction shows not to make such horrible scientific errors. If you can’t explain it then just reverse the polarity and throw the word “quantum” in it – don’t tell me that we burned enough fossil fuels to make breathing difficult and don’t show the entire planet covered in a blanket of thick smog.
The price per minute would be stunning, since I’m sure it would be over before the bell stopped vibrating. Santer wouldn’t wake up for a month!
I guess punches aren’t as bad as spontaneously exploding. It is a shame that the we don’t have a visual record of the pillory and derision directed at the critics of the Piltdown Man for comparison.
I had caught bits of a few episodes of Crownies ( slang for Crown Prosecutors) and thought it the usual sort of tosh aimed at the ABC’s InnerBurban, yuppie audience but just lame rather than preaching. And then I watched a scene where the ‘idealistic young lawyer’ interviewed the skeptic ( who as victim is a witness for the prosecution) and launches into this sneering little anti skeptic line. Won’t be bothering to watch anymore. The show is just symptomatic of the sort of prissy, PC attitudes that infest the ABC but more sadly symptomatic of the utter lack of diversity in characters in ABC drama. It is just a sign of the sad surrender to eco iconography so widespread on the liberal/left side of the political divide. The dramatic equivalent of the hockey stick graph. Proof that suckers are still born every day.
Lampooned on television. You have arrived Anthony!
Hmmm, I can picture a spoof version where the ebil climate skeptic is named Darth Watts.
Darth Watts: Where is the climate data?
AGW Lawyer: These aren’t the data you’re looking for.
At the end of the show Darth Watts gets to blow up the planet. (ebil laugh, fade to black) Muahahaha.
here is how it works.
First they tell you the debate is over. That means stop talking. When you continue to talk they will employ the following tactics: they will dehumanize you, they will ignore you, they will comapre you to criminals. the next step is they begin to engage in “virtual” violence. At Lamberts he will disemvowel commeters. Then we have “No pressure” and now we have this.
I comment on this more at length here
http://judithcurry.com/2011/10/02/wedges-reaffirmed/#comment-117783
Honestly, this reminds me of the youtube video where Buzz Aldrin punches a moon landing conspiracy theorist in the face after the guy calls him “a coward and a liar.”
Sadly, with the entertainment industry being more inclined to be left-wingers, it’s only natural that they’d portray the skeptic as the loon, instead of vice-versa.
OT note: Don’t insult Buzz Aldrin.
Anthony,
You have been slimed by worse media hit-and-run artists than those minor league media hacks at the ABC; who probably just don’t know any better cause their mommies done reared them badly.
John
@three – Buzz made the trip. Global warming has not occurred. It may, but that has yet to be proven. That is the difference.
Why bother posting anything about it?
It’s just daft, naive, and not particularly witty.
However, it would have been great if a sketch-show had tried to send-up Joe Romm. You would have been able to hear Joe’s explosion of anger from the other side of the planet if he watched the show!
Dave Wendt says:
October 4, 2011 at 12:30 pm
“Have you ever seen Joe with his shirt off? “Fightin’” Ben would end up as “Greasespot” Ben in short order.”
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That was exactly my point. Besides…Santer and Bastardi are the same age. Pat Michaels is 5 years older than Fightin’ Ben Santer. I figure ol’ Fightin’ Ben should pick a fight with someone his own age who holds an opposing view on climate change. You gotta admit…it would be worth the money to watch it even if the event didn’t last long.
From the show’s website (my emphasis):
If it were England, a trip to the defamation court would have been in order.
Anyway…a filmed story that has no connection with reality and portrays the “villain” using basic, demeaning stereotypes? Where did we see that already…
It is available for anyone to download at isohunt.com and probably other torrent sites.
john says:
October 4, 2011 at 12:51 pm
The “Occupy Wall Street” protests have no legitimate purpose, so having it hijacked by the CAGW crowd is no loss.
I’ll give you a subtle hint as to where this James Watt character may have come from.
“He may have a twin brother named Anthony Delingpole”
The Delingpole half would account for the aggression?
Alan the Brit forgot those 2 great Australian journalists- one who wanted to tattoo deniers and the other that suggested gassing would be very refreshing.
Anyway, I thought the whole climate change argument was all about Watts ?
dak says:
October 4, 2011 at 11:21 am
@grumpyoldmanuk
James Watt was a very great Scottish engineer, but he didn’t build any steam locomotives, his were all stationary engines. dak says:
October 4, 2011 at 11:21 am
@grumpyoldmanuk
James Watt was a very great Scottish engineer, but he didn’t build any steam locomotives, his were all stationary engines.
You are thinking of the Stephensons, a couple of English engineers, and not to be confused with the Stevensons, who were a family of Scottish lighthouse engineers, and one of whom invented the Stevenson Screen with which were are so familiar, in its many and varied locations.
There, I hope that’s clear.
Is that semantic or pedantic?
Oh, the professors book was being launched at the meeting where the fictional punch took place. The funny part is that the book is entitled “Boiling Frogs”
——–
Why is boiling frogs allusion funny to Anthony Watts?
REPLY: Because my arch-blog nemesis is Joe Romm at Climate Progress, and he writes about Boiling Frogs (along with other over the top silly claptrap memes) on a regular basis. – Anthony
@David Jones says:
Is that semantic or pedantic?
You choose. Either way, it’s correct
Congratulation, Anthony.
The greatest badge of effectiveness that a blog could be award use to be to inspire anti-blog blogs. But you’ve up the ante. Now the greatest honour possible is to have a government-funded propaganda service create prime-time television fiction (in English no less!) based upon your work.
You’re a legend, mate!